1842.] 



THE CIVIL ENCJIMiliU AND AKCHlTECrS JOURNAL. 



.17 



f 



thruiighuut the day, cannot aviiil tlicmselves of these opportunities, 

 ;in(l arc consequently K'fl withmit the means of preparinc; tlu'rnsclves 

 for such important callings. To what can be attributed the fact that 

 ill nine cases out of ten, pupils pass tlirough the term of tlieir articK-- 

 sliip without having advanced in any material [)oint ' merely, tliat 

 thev commence and continue almost wholly in ignorance of any prin- 

 ciples, and unable to apply even those they do know. Now it appears 

 to me possible to remedy this evil in a great measure by the establish- 

 ment of some place where the evenings only would be set apart for 

 the pursuit of the necessary ciualilicutions, and unto wliii-h a library, 

 nuiseuni, \c. might be attached, if practicable ; thus all'ording to those 

 so situated means of improvement which are at present not to be found. 

 Could the attention of those in whose power it is to carry into eflect 

 so desirable an undertaking, be roused to a sense of its importance, 

 that the subject might be tairly considered, there is little doubt but 

 that the result would be beneficial. 



I am. Sir, 

 Your's, respectfully, 



A Student. 

 DiumUr 15, 1841. 



ON COMPETITION. 



Sir — Your correspondents have descanted frequently and largely 

 upon the abuses of competition, and I concur generally in their cen- 

 sures upon existing practices. Without attempting however to dis- 

 cuss the merits and demerits of the subject, I will give you a case 

 which may furnish matler for further comments ; inasmuch as I believe 

 it is in a great measure, if not entirely original, in respect to the 

 course adopted. 



The Magistrates of Devonshire advertised for designs for a County 

 Lunatic Asylum, offering a premium of 4; 100, or the chance of being 

 employed to erect the building. About 20 designs were submitted ; 

 and after the committee had repeatedly conned them over, they can- 

 didly acknowledged their inability, without assistance and advice, to 

 enter sufficiently into the consideration of all the numerous details, so 

 ;is to be able to form a satisfactory judgment of their comparative 

 merits. Accordingly they called in the aid of Mr. Hardwick, to ex- 

 amine and report upon the designs, in order to furnish them with clear 

 and tangible data upon which their judgment might be grounded. 



Mr. Hardwick having so long held the appointment of architect to 

 Bethlehem Hospital, was therefore peculiarly fitted for the task ; and 

 it appears that he adopted the following course. 



In reporting upon the whole collection of plans, after some cursory 

 remarks upon the greater portion of them, which he deemed not worthy 

 of a detailed consideration, he selected seven or eight of the most 

 eligible, and made a t-ibular analysis of their contents under nearly 

 tliirly different heads; by enumerating of their various parts, by cal- 

 culating the small qu.inlities superficial and cubical, and arranging 

 them in juxta position. Thus presenting at one view a comparison of 

 the whole in all the various relations that can be expressed by figures ; 

 accompanied also by remarks upon their comparative merits in other 

 respects. 



The result was very curious and interesting; as for example, taking 

 only the cubical contents and cost, the calculations of the competitors 

 were found to range from \-id. to dd. per foot! 



No conclusive judgment was proi'ouuced in favour of any particular 

 plan, the selection being left entirely with the committee. 



Now it may be worth the consideration of your correspondents, 

 whether the course described is not desirable in order to arrive at a 

 fair and judicious decision — and if so, is it in the^o;rtr of any com- 

 nnllee, however zealous and honourable, to fulfil such a task; or even 

 if they had the ability, could they devote the nccessarv lime for com- 

 piiring, analysing, calculating, &c ? Further, if they could, and would 

 do so, is it not better to be done by a jirofessional nxm, who is not only 

 more competent, but also rcupoimbk for the advice he renders ? Is 

 not such an ordeal of the designs calculated to detect fillacy ami de- 

 lusion, and thus prevent an injudicious selection? and is it not at the 

 same lime a great check upon collusion and jobbing? for under such 

 an arrangi'nieiit few committee men will be so daring as to vote in do- 

 fiance of the iiirrits of the c;i3e, with the liability of their corruption 

 or ignorance being so readily exposed. 



F. 13. A. 



MR. Vl(iN01.E.S' I.ECTl'RE.S ON ClVlI. ENtilNEEKING, 

 AT THE LONDON UNIVER.SITV COLIJXiE. 



[We are indebted to our cotemporary the " Mining Jourual " for an 

 abstract of Mr. Vigiioles' very valuable lectures, now in tlio course of 

 delivery at the Lomloii L'niversity College. They will be found to 

 abound with information of tlic utmost importance, not only to the 

 student, but also to the profession generally.] 



ON ARTinClAL KOU.VDATIOXS. 



Lecture I. 25tli Nov. 184 1. After offering some comments ou 

 engineering generally, the lecturer alluded in particular to that im- 

 portant portion where the skill of the engineer was most required — 

 viz., foundations. After some instructive remarks upon the subject, 

 he said that for the foundation of bridges a network of timber had 

 been used, and was found to be very good so long ;is it was under 

 water; but if it were liable to become dry, and exposed to the effects 

 of the atmosphere, it was sure to fail. He recommended concrete as 

 far superior to timber; he had seen concrete forced into u quicksand, 

 auil no weight could afterwards force it out. Brick earth and clay 

 form excellent foundations — the whole of St. Paul's, except the north- 

 east corner, was built upon such a foundation, of from four to (we feet 

 thick ; at the north-east corner, the architect being afraid to trust to 

 the ground, it being rather softer than the other parts, had the clay 

 removed, and a well of from twenty to thirty feet s(|uare sunk to a 

 depth of about forty feet, where the hard bed w;is found ; he then 

 raised a solid mass of masonry to within nine or ten feet of the surface 

 — arches were turned, and the foundation finished at an enormous ex- 

 pense ; whereas, a few cubic yards of concrete would iiavc answered 

 equally well, if not better. All must have noticed the hole that was 

 filled u)) iji laying the concrete foundation of the Royal Exchange; 

 there a few cubic yards of concrete did the work more expeditiously, 

 and as well as the ingenuity of the mason could have effected it; he 

 alluded to some of the most remarkable instances of the prodigality of 

 architects in laying foundations, as the Barricrc de I'Etoilc (a trium- 

 phal arch at Paris;, where the cost of the foundation far exceeded the 

 amount of surface work ; and the viaduct of the Valley Elon-, in which 

 a mass of soliil masonry, thirty feet thick, was erected, extending all 

 across the valley. In these cases concrete would have answered the 

 purpose equally well, and at an enormous reduction in expense. Mr. 

 Vignolcs stated that the leading principles he wished to impress upon 

 the minds of the students were — extension of base ami equality of 

 surface. He then, at some length, explained the different foundations 

 that had been used for bridge building, and mentioned particularly 

 Ranger's patent for curing defects where foundations have given way 

 — viz., by using hot water to concrete applied in boxes, the hot water 

 causing the concrete to expand. This was applied to the foundation 

 of the Custom House when it had given way in consequence of a failure 

 in the piling, which rend«red necessary the application of an artificial 

 for a natural foundation. He then remarked upon the various methods 

 now in vogue for keeping the piles of bridges dry while under repair, 

 alluding to caissons, ana Mr. Tierney Clark's method of putting in 

 the foundation of the landing place at (iravesend by portable colfer- 

 dams. The Professor concluded his instructive lecture, stating his 

 wish to popularise the knowledge of eugiueering as a means of bene- 

 fitting the public at large. 



LixTi'i'.E II. Wednesday, the 1st Dec, ISll. — In the first lecture 

 Mr. Vignoles gave the general principles of the various descriptions 

 of foundations ; in the present he proceeded to illustrate those princi- 

 ples by diagrams. He stated, that if a good foundation were provided 

 by nature, the subse<iuent operations were simple, the main point 

 being to imitate nature as closely as possible. Where the soil was 

 bad, considerable skill was recpiired ; for instance, in laying the found- 

 ation for the pier of a bridge, a wall, or a column, the first point was 

 to give the base extensibility, in proportion as the natural soil w.-ui 

 weak, so in ecjual proportion must the size of the base be incre.ised — 

 the pressure must also be equal ; the soundness of the foundation not 

 depending so nnicli upon the amount of settlement as upon its equality. 

 There were various ways of obtaining this — viz., by the use of con- 

 crete alone, or in conjunction with timber, timlH'r alone, or stone, or 

 brick. Having so much insisted upon the necessity of an uniformity, 

 it must be sup|iosed that no portion of the artificial soil should escape; 

 where that was likely, itluft liili"H nuist he resorted to. He then, by 

 means of diagrams, explaineil the naliirii of that method — it being by 

 driving piles dose together, all rounil tlie found itiun ; the piles l)eing 

 (siy) four inihi's thick, and as long as might Ik; necessary. This 

 method entirely prevented the escape of the soil in any manner but in 

 a vertical direction, an<l ensured an uniform sinking, however bad the 

 natural soil might have lioeu. He then alluded to a very large chim 



